A senior minister in Keir Starmer's government dismissed what she described as 'feverish' speculation about a leadership challenge, just hours after she helped campaign alongside a key rival, Andy Burnham.
Nandy's defence of the Prime Minister
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said claims that prominent figures including Mr Burnham, Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner were preparing to oust the Prime Minister were 'froth and nonsense' during a series of television interviews.
Her comments came a day after she posted pictures on social media showing her alongside Mr Burnham as he campaigns to become Labour's candidate in the Makerfield by-election. The by-election was deliberately triggered by the incumbent MP, Josh Simons, to allow Mr Burnham to return to Westminster and potentially challenge Sir Keir.
Posting on X, Ms Nandy wrote that she had been knocking on doors in Winstanley, an area of Wigan within the Makerfield constituency, adding that it was 'lovely to see some good friends come over to help'. The photograph included Mr Burnham and Louise Haigh, the former transport secretary and a close ally of the Greater Manchester mayor.
Media round comments
However, speaking to Sky News today, she said: 'I have spoken to the Prime Minister several times over the last week and he was very clear with the Cabinet on Tuesday that if people want to challenge him there is a process for doing that, there is a way to trigger a leadership contest, to be leader of the Labour Party and to succeed him as Prime Minister.
'Nobody has done that yet, despite the absolute feverish speculation.
'Every hour on the hour for the last week I've read that Wes Streeting was about to launch a challenge; that Andy Burnham was about to contest every seat in Greater Manchester, including my own; that Angela Rayner was written off, that Angela Rayner was now challenging; and most of it has turned out to be just froth and nonsense.'
Attack on Streeting over EU
Ms Nandy also used her media appearances as a Starmer minister to criticise Mr Burnham's main rival, Wes Streeting, for suggesting that the UK should rejoin the European Union.
She said that the former health secretary risked 'reopening the Brexit wars' with his 'odd' call for the country to rejoin the bloc, a decade after the seismic vote to leave.
The Culture Secretary, who posted pictures on social media of herself campaigning with Mr Burnham yesterday, attacked his leadership rival while ostensibly representing Keir Starmer's government on television.
Mr Streeting sparked a new front in Labour's internal conflict yesterday by setting out his desire for a 'new special relationship' with the EU, with the eventual goal of rejoining the trade bloc.
Speaking at the Progress think tank's conference in central London on Saturday, Mr Streeting described Brexit as a 'catastrophic mistake' and broke the ice on a topic that Labour has long avoided revisiting.
'We need a new special relationship with the EU, because Britain's future lies with Europe – and one day back in the European Union,' he said.
But speaking to Sky News today, Ms Nandy said: 'I think it is a bit odd, if I am honest.'
She added: 'The Government that he was part of until recently has been trying to take a far more pragmatic approach to bringing us closer to Europe and repairing some of the damage that was done from a poor Brexit deal to people's living standards in parts of the country like mine, rather than reopening the Brexit wars and going round back again around that track.'
